Asus Republic of Gamers G750JZ-XS72 Review

Introduction & Design

Is the Asus Republic of Gamers G750JZ-XS72 the ultimate gaming laptop? It depends what your rules for "ultimate" are. Some ultra-hardcore buffs would prefer a faster CPU, though there frankly aren't many to choose from once you get past the Asus' 2.4GHz Intel Core i7-4700HQ. Some might vote for a touch screen, or for higher resolution than the traditional 1,920x1,080 of the Asus' 17.3-inch panel.

Some bling-tastic types might wish for fancier, colorful keyboard backlighting along the lines of MSI's and Alienware's showoff systems, instead of the G750JZ's merely white backlit keyboard and (horrors!) non-glowing touch pad. And not a few might insist on dual GPUs, like those of the Origin EON17-SLX or Alienware 18, for truly over-the-top desktop-class graphics.

On the other hand, if you take the meaning of "ultimate" as last in a series, you can't beat the Asus: It packs Nvidia's GeForce GTX 880M, the new top of the graphics vendor's mobile line and, Nvidia claims, the fastest single mobile graphics adapter you can get. And the results are certainly enough to cure desktop envy: The G750JZ sped through Tomb Raider (2013)'s Ultimate or toughest setting at full 1080p resolution at 48 frames per second (75 fps for its second-best or Ultra mode). For Sleeping Dogs, the numbers were 42 fps for the game's Extreme setting and 70 fps for the second-best or High mode.

And if your definition of "ultimate" has anything to do with "well-equipped," the Asus G750JZ-XS72 tested here is overkill: For $2,999, it comes with a staggering 32GB of RAM, two 256GB solid-state drives in a RAID array plus a 1TB hard drive, and a Blu-ray writer. To be honest, unless you need to burn Blu-ray discs, we'd suggest stepping down to the model G750JZ-DS71, which packs two 128GB SSDs, a Blu-ray reader, and 24GB of memory for $2,499.

Design

Whichever G750JZ model you choose, it'll likely be overkill for your briefcase—the system is big and heavy even by gaming laptop standards at 16.1x12.5x2 inches and 9.9 pounds. It took us two trips to take the Asus and its monstrous power brick home in our average-sized briefcase. (We should have used the official Republic of Gamers Nomad backpack Asus sent along, a bulky but stylish bag priced at $169.)

Like its predecessor the G750JX-DB71 we reviewed in July 2013, the G750JZ-XS72 has a beveled-edge style that's fairly subdued next to some spaceshippy gaming rigs, with a soft-touch matte black finish and two prominent vents at the rear for the CPU and GPU cooling fans (an improvement on some machines' side vents that can blow hot air onto gamers' mouse hands). A chrome Asus logo and illuminated Republic of Gamers logo decorate the lid.